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The MTA Roundup — April 30

Sad news for the subways agents yesterday. They knew it was coming, but getting a pink slip is a whole different story for 500 MTA workers, amNY reports.

The Subway Art Blog posted a unique subway ad. This one is of stickers in the same style that include bits of commentary – some on a more political flavor.

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The MTA Roundup — April 29

As noted in a previous post, this week saw the first two MTA worker deaths in since 2007.  The Times ran an interesting piece on the dead-man’s switch that prevented the G train from going out of control when its motorman suffered a heart attack.

Also, news of a revised Capital Project plan, one that is two billion dollars lighter, is making the rounds.  Governor Paterson had vetoed the previous plan because of budget shortfalls.

We are hosting Tom Sibley, the father of subwaydouchery.com, and the subject of todays nyctracks.com video, on our podcast tomorrow.  Be sure to check out the interview at 3:00PM.

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The MTA Roundup–April 27 & 28

The MTA Roundup–April 27 & 28

The golden key–a master key that The Daily News discovered opened hundreds of subway station doors also operates elevators, The Daily News recently discovered.

NYConvergence says the MTA and several cellphone carriers have paired together to bring WiFi to Grand Central Station.

The MTA has witnessed its first deaths of transit workers since 2007. The New York Post reports that worker James Knell slipped onto a third rail in Queens and that a motorman on the G train died while operating the train.

The Gothamist reports that some Brooklyn residents will have to deal with construction noises until March 2011–all because of a 250 foot passageway.

High tech work boots for IT workers? That’s what’s causing some criticism about the MTA’s spending habits. amNew York has more.

The Huffington Post explains why City Council Speaker Christine Quinn made a trip to the nation’s capitol–it involves the 7 train extension.

The Daily News says that the city will spend $46 million in the next year alone on the 7 train extension.

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MTA Roundup – April 26

MTA Roundup – April 26

It was a busy news day for the MTA!

The transit agency released its station-level ridership data for 2009. The busiest stations: Times Square – 42nd, Grand Central – 42nd, 34th – Herald Square. The emptiest: Aqueduct Racetrack, Beach 105th Street on the A and the Shuttle, and Broad Channel — also on the A and the Shuttle.

Dozens of laypeople have gotten their hands on the MTA’s universal keys to subway gates, the Daily News reports. The revelation comes after cops caught a 25-year-old man charging people a discounted rate to pass through the gates with his key.

Transit apps are on the rise, reports amNY. The new technology will give riders a wealth of data on the city’s transit system. Commuters said they would especially like a program that will tell them exactly when the next train will arrive. But unfortunately, there is no app for that, yet.

East side residents are taking aim at the Second Avenue subway project, again. They say the construction has created a rat problem, according to the Wall Street Journal. But a contractor hired by the MTA says a nearby abandoned building is to blame.

A transit worker died after slipping on wet tracks and falling onto the third rail, the Daily News reports.

The Wall Street Journal’s New York edition launched today with a step-by-step guide on proper MetroCard swipe technique.

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The MTA Roundup — April 23

Today on the MTA roundup – not only important  transit headlines – but also entertaining transportation news.

amNY brings us the latest promise from the subway’s new chief, cleaning up the subways. Literally.

The Violation Report presents a new endeavor to try and enforce subway etiquette. It started with warning signs, and now, Gothamist reports, you can print at home actual tickets to give to anyone whose not behaving properly underground.

The subway etiquette campaign, by artist Jason Shelowitz has been posted in subways across the city (risking a $25 fine) deals, among other things with eating, preaching and nail clipping underground.


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New Yorkers Answer: Who Gets Your Seat on a Crowded Train?

New Yorkers Answer: Who Gets Your Seat on a Crowded Train?

A woman 32 weeks pregnant was fined $75 for moving between cars on a No. 1 train stopped at a Times Square station earlier this month. She told the New York Post that she was looking for a seat on a jam-packed train during her afternoon commute. Her story begged the question: why is a pregnant woman looking for a seat?

NYCTracks.com braved the crowds of the Times Square evening commute to find out who subway riders will and won’t stand up for. Do young children get precedence overly elderly train riders? What about pregnant women? Do they get the seat instead of the guy carrying two fists full of shopping bags? And should a young man give his seat up to a woman in heels at the end of the work day?

Almost everyone we talked to said they regularly stood up for fellow subway riders in need. But those needy travelers tell a different story. When they board the train, suddenly everyone is sleeping. Hmmmm….

– Simone Sebastian

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The MTA Roundup – April 19

The MTA Roundup – April 19

Defunct toll booths on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge started coming down Monday after more than two decades of uselessness, reports silive.com. Borough President James P. Molinaro commemorates the event by evoking President Reagan’s call to tear down the Berlin Wall.

Underground cell phone snatchings are on the rise in subway systems in Boston and Washington D.C. The New York Times says public transit officials are concerned that improved cell service on the trains exacerbates the problem.

NY1 reports the latest tally on bus stop cuts – 611. The means replacing 8600 route maps, the news outlet notes.

Turns out, if you beat up your supervisor, you’ll lose your job. The New York Post explains how an MTA bus driver learned that lesson this week.

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The MTA Roundup — April 16th

If you’re planing on going out tonight and drinking, taking the train while intoxicated might cost you up to $100.

amNY’s Heather Haddon warns commuters from breaking a law that they probably violated or seen someone violating a few time before on the train.

And don’t forget to check out NYCTracks Radio show with Haddon and Second Ave. Sagas’ Ben Kabak for more MTA news.

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The MTA Roundup – April 15

Believe it or not, the big thing in subway news today is the discovery of an emergency exit camouflaged as a Brooklyn Brownstone.  The exit in question – which has existed in its current incarnation since at least 1991 – was described by the Brooklyn Eagle before the blogosphere provided its address and pictures.

The whole idea of a secret passageway that leads from your average residential street to the awesome network of the MTA is pretty appealing, and apparently MPIX thinks it is real news too.  Check out their coverage.

There is also news of the first real-time bus locator system that will be tested through August on the M16 and M34 bus lines.  Soon your dinner-date will be able to follow your bus on Google map in real time, and gone will be another excuse for tardiness.

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The MTA Roundup – April 14

The MTA Roundup – April 14

D-day for the G-train is coming early, according to amNY. Cuts on the train line were supposed to begin June 27, with the other budget reductions. But the MTA pushed up the timeline and will close stations Monday.

The New York Times reports that a unique cost-saving tactic will earn $40 million this year for the cash-strapped transit agency.

But employee abuse of sick days is wasting MTA money, according New York Daily News. The problem is especially acute in Staten Island, the paper reported today. One in five MTA bus division workers there are on the Family and Medical Leave Program.

And a Village Voice blog reports that a fake security flyer is posted in the No. 1 train station on 110th Street. The poster warns riders that their body cavities are subject to search.

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